Corozal

Corozal is a coastal town in northern Belize, located just 9 miles from the border with Mexico. Corozal was founded by the Mayans as the city of Chetumal, and it would later become a pirate haven during the Golden Age of Piracy, with Mexican bandits using the town as a base from which they could prey on Spanish Navy shipping. The town grew during the 19th century as the result of a refugee crisis in the Yucatan Peninsula caused by caste wars, and the town survived a 1955 hurricane, being substantially rebuilt. In 2017, Corozal had a population of 13,502 people.